Dearunite.com have located the cynical secret guide written for and used by Israeli spokespeople. Have a look through and see if you recognise any techniques.

Here are the highlights:

"This manual will provide you with many specific words and phrases to help you communicate effectively in support of Israel. What are some general guidelines that can help you in your future efforts? Here are the 25 points that matter most:...

1. Open your conversation with strong proven messages such as:“Israel is committed to a better future for everyone – Israelis and Palestinians alike. Israel wants the pain and suffering to end, and is committed to working with the Palestinians toward a peaceful, diplomatic solution where both sides can have a better future. Let this be a time of hope and opportunity for both theIsraeli and the Palestinian people.”Take some time to talk about Israel’s efforts to prevent civilian casualties. The issue of Palestinian civilian casualties is one of the most damaging in the entire debate.

So here is the five-step approach to talking about civilian casualties in Gaza:

"We have all made mistakes"

STEP 1 – Empathy: “All human life is precious. We understand thatthe loss of one innocent Palestinian life is every bit as tragic as the loss ofan Israeli life.”STEP 2 – Admission: “We admit that Israel isn’t always successfulat preventing civilian casualties...”STEP 3 -- Effort: “We remain committed to doing everything in ourpower to preventing civilian casualties.”STEP 4 – Examples: “Let me tell you how our armed forces are trained,tasked, and operate to ensure that Palestinian civilians remain safe.”STEP 5 – Turn Tables: “It is a great tragedy that Iran‐backed Hamasshoots rockets at our civilians while hiding in their own. This causes tragic deaths on BOTH sides. What would you do if you were in this situation?”

Use Empathy: Even the toughest questions can be turned around if you are willing to accept the notion that the other side has at least some validity. If you begin your response with “I understand and I sympathize with those who…” you are already building thecredibility you will need for your audience to empathize and agree with you."

Flechettes from Israeli tank shells

3. Clearly differentiate between the Palestinian people and Hamas. There is an immediate and clear distinction between the empathy Americans feel for the Palestinians and the scorn they direct at Palestinian leadership... If it sounds like you are attacking the Palestinian people (even though they elected Hamas) rather than their leadership, you will lose publicsupport.World view is especially important to the Left as they see a world where basically all people are good and with education and communication we can all get along. This is stark contrast to most conservatives who believe that there are good people (i.e. Israel) and bad people (i.e. Iran) and that good people need to be protected from the bad people.4. What to say on the deaths of innocent women and children: “We may disagree about politics and we may disagree about economics. But there is one fundamental principle that all peoples from all parts of the globe will agree on: civilized people do not target innocent women and children for death.”5. Use humility. “I know that in trying to defend its children and citizens from terroriststhat Israel has accidentally hurt innocent people. I know it, and I’m sorry for it. Butwhat can Israel do to defend itself? If America had given up land for peace – and thatland had been used for launching rockets at America, what would America do? Israelwas attacked with thousands of rockets from Iran-backed Palestinian terrorists in Gaza."

When it comes time to talk about rockets, the best word is “deliberate.” Don’t saythat Hamas is “randomly rocketing Israel.” Do say “Hamas is deliberately firing rockets into Israeli towns, communities, and civilian populations.”

WORDS THAT WORK“Are Israelis perfect? No. Do we make mistakes? Yes. But we want a better future, and we are working towards it.”

6. Be careful of your tone. A patronizing, parental tone will turn Americans and Europeans off. We’re at a time in history when Jews in general (and Israelis in particular) are no longer perceived as the persecuted people. In fact, among American and European audiences—sophisticated, educated, opinionated, non-Jewish audiences—Israelis are often seen as the occupiers and the aggressors.8. Remind people – again and again – that Israel wants peace. The speaker that is perceived as being most for PEACE will win the debate. Every time someone makes the plea for peace, the reaction is positive. If you want to regain the public relations advantage, peace should be at the core of whatever message you wish to convey.10. It’s our job to “wear white hats in public”—to remind Americans that Israel is a team for whomthey can feel good about cheering.

11. Don't use the word 'Jew'. Even the mention of the word “Jew” is many Israel contexts is going to elicit anegative reaction—and the defense of Israel as a “Jewish State” or “Zionist State” will be received quite poorly. This may be hard for the Jewish community to accept but this is how most Americans and Europeans feel.12. No matter what you are asked, bridge to a productive pro-Israel message. When asked a direct question, you don’t have to answer it directly. Start by acknowledging their question and agreeing that both sides – Israelis and Palestinians – deserve a better future. Remind your audience that Israel wants peace. 13. Talk about the future, not the past. Remember—communications is not a test for who can remember the most facts. Listeners want simple messages that will answer their simple, silent question: “What is in it for my country and for me to support Israel?”14) Hope. This is the language people want to hear: “The day will come when Israeli children and Palestinian children will grow up together, play together, and eventually work together side-by-side not just because they have to but because they want to.”19. Avoid putting things in terms of “not.” Tell the people what you are for. Use positive, active terms. Don’t say your goal is not to do this or to avoid that.20. Start your message, press release, sound bite, or debate segment with your best, positive message. Peoplemake snap decisions about whether they find you to be credible, authentic, empathetic, or sincere. Start with positive themes like peace, mutual respect, empathy for the plight of Palestinians and their children, and the like.21 Concede a point. Look for opportunities in every TV debate or interview to concede a point to the interviewer or debate partner. It doesn’t have to be a major point. The point isn’t to undermine some essential plank of Israel’s foreign policy platform. But the simple words “you make a good point” do wonders among an audience.25. Mutuality is a key concept. The world sees Israel and the Palestinians on completely different plains - it’s David vs. Goliath – only this time the Palestinians are seen as David. Using the “mutual” context puts both parties on the same level – and that is important in communicating the Israeli position. Here are the phrases to use:-- “Mutual respect” is even better than “tolerance.”-- “Living together, side by side, in peace”-- “Israelis and Palestinians both have a RIGHT to…” The moreyou stress that both sides have equal rights, the better.-- “Cooperation, Collaboration, and Compromise.” All three words work to describe the relationship that Europe and America want Israelis and Palestinians to have. We recommend you use all three because the sound repetition drives the point home with three times the effectiveness.

The document is marked on every page "Property of The Israel Project. Not for distribution or publication. 2009"

More classics:

• “Building”: Never talk about “giving” the Palestinians something. It sounds toopaternalistic. Instead, talk about “building” because it suggests a step-by-step, layer-bylayerimprovement in conditions. Giving reminds people that you’re in the strongerposition and that creates more sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians.• Children: As often as possible, make the stakes of achieving peace about providing afuture for both Palestinian and Israeli children in which they can live, learn, and grow upwithout the constant fear of attack.• “Deliberately firing rockets into civilian communities”: Combine terrorist motive withcivilian visuals and you have the perfect illustration of what Israel faced in Gaza andLebanon. Especially with regard to rocket attacks but useful for any kind of terroristattack, deliberate is the right word to use to call out the intent behind the attacks. This isfar more powerful than describing the attacks as “random.”• Examples of Peace Efforts: Constantly cite Israel’s past efforts and sacrifices for peacewith moderate Arab leaders also willing to work for peace. But don’t dwell on the past.Humanize Rockets: Paint a vivid picture of what life is like in Israeli communities thatare vulnerable to attack. Yes, cite the number of rocket attacks that have occurred. Butimmediately follow that up with what it is like to make the nightly trek to the bombshelter.• “If… If… If…Then.”: Put the burden on Hamas to make the first move for peace byusing If’s (and don’t forget to finish with a hard then to show Israel is a willing peacepartner). “If Hamas reforms… If Hamas recognize our right to exist… If Hamasrenounces terrorism… If Hamas supports international peace agreements… then we arewilling to make peace today.”• “One step at a time, one day at a time”: It is essential to lower expectations and reducethe pressure on Israel to rush into an agreement that is either not in its interests orjeopardizes its security. The “one step at a time” language will be accepted as acommon sense approach to the land-for-peace equation.“Peace before political boundaries”: This is the best phrase for talking about why atwo-state solution isn’t realistic right now. First the rockets and the war need to stop.Then both peoples can talk about political boundaries.“The RIGHT to”: This is a stronger phrase than “deserves.” Use the phrase frequently,including: the rights that both Israelis and Arabs enjoy in Israel, the right to peace thatIsraelis and Palestinians are entitled to, and Israel’s right to defend its civilians againstrocket attacks.• “We have all made mistakes.” People do not expect Israel to be 100 percent successfulin all their efforts to stop terrorism. Admitting that Israel has and continues to makemistakes does not undermine the overall justice of Israel’s goals: peace and security and abetter quality of life for everyone. It does gain you much needed credibility.• “Working toward a solution”: Americans don’t expect the dispute between Israel andthe Arabs to end overnight, but they absolutely need to know that “Israel is working tofind a solution that is acceptable to everyone involved.” This suggests positive intent.This suggests progress. This suggests hope. And all three are important components of a successful communication effort.